


ritardando.

by orphan_account



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 03:55:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11546976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: 3AM diner dates have become a sort of tradition for Noct and Ignis.





	ritardando.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [explodingnebulae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/explodingnebulae/gifts).



> when jay suggested "3am diner date" i was like 'aw yeah this is gonna be fluffy!' but then it,, didn't quite turn out that way. idk maybe it is maybe it isn't who knows i certainly don't /rip

_Everything alright?_

_Yeah, yeah. Just... can’t sleep, I guess._

_That’s a first._

_Mm._

_Come with me._

It’s become a sort of tradition for them, these days—days spent on the road, cramped in the Regalia; nights spent on the rough campsites, cramped in the tent. 

As worn out as he is from the fighting and the hunting and the weight of everything, Noct has those nights where his brain just won’t stop, nights where the guilt and the hurt and the fear keeps him awake no matter how long he lies there with his eyes closed. 

Those have become the nights that Ignis’s fingers card through his hair, soothing his agitated thoughts, and with a nod to the finger to his lips to keep quiet, he follows Ignis out of the tent, crawling over Gladio and Prompto who keep snoring away. 

The heat in Lucis is perpetual, no reprieve in sight, but Noct doesn’t mind it so much anymore. It’s familiar in a world that’s changing almost too fast for him to keep up with. He wipes the sweat from his brow, grins as Ignis rolls his sleeves up, and doesn’t complain about their sweaty palms when their fingers slip together as they walk. 

The nearest outpost from their current campsite is a twenty-minute trek, but keeping to the lit main road keeps their daemon encounters to a sparse minimum. The goblins are dispensed easily between them. Noct almost wishes a red giant or something would appear just to spice things up and let him expend some of his restless energy doing something actually productive. 

“We are not daemon hunting in the dark by ourselves,” Ignis says pointedly. His daggers disappear back to the intangible armiger. 

Noct lets his sword dematerialize. “I didn’t say anything.” 

“You didn’t have to. It’s all over your face.” 

Noct sticks his tongue out. Ignis just gives him a look and adjusts his glasses. Their hands slip together again as they walk the last few minutes to the outpost. 

The cheerful, tinny music playing from the Crow’s Nest greets them as they walk up. The atmosphere is calm and lazy, and Noct’s shoulders relax on a deep sigh. He leads them in to a booth and slides in while Ignis goes up to the counter. He props his chin up in his hand and looks out the window at the sky, black as pitch and covered in a dazzling blanket of stars. 

“Perhaps we’ll have to do that next time,” Ignis says as he slides into the booth across from Noct. He slides Noct a bottle of water. 

“Mm,” Noct hums in agreement and takes the water. “Been awhile since we stargazed. Well. In name, I guess. We stargaze all the time in the literal sense.” 

“True, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make the time specifically to look up at the stars like we used to.” 

“I hate that we stopped,” Noct says. He picks at the label on the bottle and avoids Ignis’s gaze. “I hate that we  _had_ to. I hate that that was taken from us. That  _everything_  was taken from us.” 

Ignis’s hands cover Noct’s, gently loosening his grip on the water bottle. He cups Noct’s cheek, and Noct leans into it. He doesn’t realize he’s crying until Ignis wipes his tears away. 

“Not everything,” Ignis corrects softly. his thumb continues to caress Noct’s cheek. “But certainly more than we deserve.” 

They sit quietly in the lazy atmosphere of the diner, sharing a plate of fries and passing the water bottle back and forth. It’s a soothing silence, disrupted only by the soft clink of silverware against plates and the music on the radio. By the time the plate is empty, Noct is covering a yawn. 

“Carry me back to camp?” he asks with a playful grin. Ignis ignores him and walks out, and Noct laughs as he jogs to catch up. 

The stars seem to shine a little brighter. 

**Author's Note:**

> i just want my babies to be happy 
> 
>  
> 
> [tumblr](http://zacks-cloud.tumblr.com)


End file.
